


rest a little while

by ConfettiCat



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, I'm so tired, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slash, TobiIzu, TobiIzu Week 2021, but I hope it's not too weird, hopefully not, it's kinda weird, kinda too fluffy, they might be ooc i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29125611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConfettiCat/pseuds/ConfettiCat
Summary: TobiIzu Week Day 1 Prompt - rest...."By the Sage," Izuna groans quietly, "you're a genius, but sometimes you're so stupid."Tobirama doesn't reply. Izuna continues talking regardless."What made you think pulling three all-nighters in a row would be a good idea in any scenario?"
Relationships: Senju Hashirama/Uchiha Madara (background), Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Izuna
Comments: 8
Kudos: 63





	rest a little while

"By the Sage," Izuna groans quietly, "you're a genius, but sometimes you're so _stupid_."

He wrings out the towel in his hands a little tighter than he would normally, before smoothing it out and laying it on Tobirama's forehead. The other man doesn't reply. Izuna continues talking regardless.

"What made you think pulling three all-nighters in a row would be a good idea in any scenario? Look at you now."

Izuna throws his arms up in exasperation at the man he's in the middle of taking care of. Tobirama stays quiet from his position in his _futon_ , breaths hot and uneven, head pounding. Even when Izuna's only hissing and snapping quietly, it doesn't help his raging headache. He struggles to lift a hand to cradle his head, and Izuna gets the signal, but that doesn't stop the man from fuming. But of course; after all, the only reason Tobirama got this sick was that he worked for three days straight without getting proper sleep. Or any sleep. Izuna's not sure. Even if Tobirama argued that he took light naps, that still isn't enough. As a result, here he is now, laying incapacitated in his room with a burning fever. Izuna was the one who found him in his office, collapsed over his paperwork. Three days of Kagami telling him that he had independent training and Izuna figured out something was up. He went to the Hokage Tower early in the morning and headed straight for Tobirama's office. The door was unlocked, and guess what he saw when he came in. At least he hadn't collapsed in his private laboratory or something. Getting him back to the Senju compound wasn't too easy, but he managed. He excused himself to one of the caretakers, explaining Tobirama's fever and garnering a worried response. He asked her for help to prepare a few things; some water and a towel, some rice gruel, and the medicine the Senju usually take to help with a fever, to which she readily obliged. In the meantime, he took the liberty of putting Tobirama in his _futon_ and while the caretaker was preparing the rice gruel, he took the water and gave Tobirama a compress. Now, all he has to do is wait. He'll find Hashirama later, and he'll leave after making sure Tobirama takes his medicine. Izuna takes a hand to Tobirama's neck, to feel his temperature for the umpteenth time.

"You're way hotter than I ever knew people could get," he says; and no, that is _not_ a compliment. There's no need for him to clarify, though, Tobirama would get what he meant.

Tobirama coughs, and Izuna offers him a cup. "Water?"

He gets a nod as a response, so he helps Tobirama lift his head before handing him the cup. Tilting the cup little by little, Tobirama drinks a good enough amount of the warm water before handing the cup back.

"...thank you," he finally says, voice hoarse from his sore throat. Izuna sighs and scratches his head.

"You're welcome, but listen. I know that you have a lot of work to do, but this _can't_ be the best way around it, right?"

Tobirama doesn't say anything, but he furrows his brows and looks at Izuna as if he understood nothing, to which Izuna huffs.

"Okay, fine then. Just focus on getting better, okay?"

Just then, the caretaker asks for permission to enter the room. Izuna gets up and opens the door for her, before receiving a bowl of rice gruel and some medicine. He thanks her, and she takes her leave after he says he'll handle things from there.

"Can you eat?"

Tobirama nods, and Izuna helps him sit up. He holds the bowl as Tobirama begins to eat, little by little. He gets a few spoonfuls in and he stops, but Izuna figures it's enough, and hands him the medicine along with the cup of water. Tobirama drinks it, and Izuna helps him lie back down.

"I'll leave this here," he motions at the rice gruel, "if you might wanna eat it again later. I'm gonna head to work now, if you don't mind. Try to get some rest, will you? Don't think too much – although I'm not sure you can do that..."

He moves to get up, but stops when he feels a tug on his sleeve. "Wait," Tobirama rasps, heaving himself up with one arm, and Izuna hurries to support him.

"...what is it?" he asks, after Tobirama manages to sit back up. He looks at Izuna straight in the eyes, breathing ragged, fingers still on Izuna's sleeve. Izuna stills, and listens.

"...the two stacks of scrolls on my desk, they're due today – early tomorrow at worst. And please make sure Hashirama doesn't leave his office today, he still has work to do."

Izuna blinks. Then, he smiles.

"Leave it to me. I'll make sure both your work and Hashirama's get done as soon as possible."

His smile doesn't waver as he scoots up to Tobirama, bringing their faces closer to each other, staring into Tobirama's eyes.

"And you," he says, Mangekyou flaring, "are going to sleep."

He does it quickly. Tobirama, in his current state and with his guard down, doesn't manage to close his eyes in time and falls into Izuna's hypnosis _genjutsu_. Soon enough he falls asleep, slumping in Izuna's arms. Izuna lays him back down gently, albeit reluctantly, and tucks him into his futon. He huffs, and lets his face twist into a scowl.

"You got sick from overwork, at least reflect on it a little. Stupid," he grumbles, but eventually his scowl fades and he sighs. He knows. Tobirama takes care of the most paperwork out of anyone in the Hokage office, even compared to the Hokage himself. In fact, it's because Tobirama is there that Hashirama doesn't have as much paperwork to do. Tobirama's the one who arranges and files the new systems to implement in the village. He's a busy man. Not to mention, he has students to train, and any spare time he has he spends holed up in his laboratory, researching and experimenting with new jutsu. It's a miracle that he didn't get sick more often, but if this keeps up, that might well soon change. Tobirama needs rest.

Izuna looks at the man for a little while. There are no signs of tension in his muscles, and his breathing seems to have evened out. He should have properly fallen asleep, and shouldn't be waking up soon. He won't be eating anymore then, he muses after glancing at the bowl by the bedside, so he picks it up to get it reheated. Izuna closes the sliding door behind him, padding softly down the halls. Regardless, he has Tobirama's workload to take care of, on top of his own. Based on the deadline, though, Tobirama's work takes top priority. Izuna himself isn't fond of it, but a few months into this job and he had gotten used to managing his time well enough to finish his paperwork at least just before the deadline. Although seeing how Tobirama's working himself, he's starting to think that he may have to try to do better. After all, the sooner he submits his files, the sooner Tobirama can go through them and the sooner he can rest. Is that how it works? Izuna can only hope.

Around the corner, he runs into Hashirama, still in his sleepwear but looking quite awake already. "Hokage-sama," he greets, and Hashirama's face lights up.

"Izuna-dono! What brings you here, so early in the morning?"

Izuna tells him the details, and his expression immediately melts into one of worry. Really. How Tobirama managed to brush off Hashirama into not knowing _this_ is a mystery.

"I told him to rest, and he said he would," Hashirama almost wails. "I did all my work like he asked, too. Where is he now? Is he alright?"

"I took him to his room. He's asleep right now, I'm not sure he's going to wake up soon." Well, actually, he's quite sure. With his genjutsu, Tobirama shouldn't wake up until at least past noon. "I left the water basin at his bedside, in case he needs it."

"Oh. I see," Hashirama says, a little bit of concern lifted off his face. "Thank you for taking care of my brother, Izuna-dono, I appreciate it. I'll take care of him from here."

"Actually," Izuna says, "Tobirama asked me to make sure you do your work today, Hokage-sama."

Hashirama's face falls.

"What? But – but he's sick! I have to take care of him!"

Hashirama's glassy eyes are difficult to say no to, on an ordinary day; but Izuna's resolve remains.

"That's what he asked of me before he fell asleep." Before Izuna used his genjutsu, but either way. Hashirama looks torn, and Izuna empathizes with him, but he's not going to break his word. After all, that's the reason he's heading to Tobirama's office right now.

"It would be best to respect his request right now, I'm sure there's good reason behind it," he says with a small smile. "I want to give him less to worry about when he gets better."

"But..." Hashirama trails off. Izuna's honestly not sure how else to convince this man to stop worrying and get to work. Even Izuna's worried, you know? But Tobirama takes his work almost more seriously than his own health – that's another thing to worry about. Really, he's so put together, but at the same time such a mess. It's ridiculous.

"Oh!" Hashirama pipes up suddenly, and Izuna unfurrows his brows.

"Yes?"

"What if," Hashirama begins, eyes beaming, "we just bring our work here? That way, we can work and take care of Tobirama at the same time!"

Izuna blinks.

"I," he says, quiet and unsure. He'd considered this, but he would've been imposing on the Senju. But now...

"That's a great idea! We have plenty of room to work here, and we can take turns checking in on Tobirama. How does it sound, Izuna-dono? Would you mind joining me? Two people would be better than one."

Izuna hesitates. If Hashirama's adamant, there's not much he could do to stop him. The next best course of action, then, would be to go along with it so he can keep an eye on Hashirama.

"I agree, that would be great," he says, and Hashirama beams.

"Fantastic! I need to get ready then. Wait, I want to invite Madara, too! Do you think that would be a good idea?"

Madara wouldn't look forward to taking care of a sick Tobirama, but Hashirama's excited, and there's not much Izuna can do. Again. Besides, his brother might question it if Hashirama doesn't show up in office today.

"That would be fine."

"I'll go find him then! Or Izuna-dono, perhaps you might be heading home first?"

"Ah..." Izuna thinks. He could explain the entire situation to Madara, and Madara would question him, even if the idea is from Hashirama. "Would you not rather tell my brother in person?"

"I do want to see him," Hashirama replies. "But it might be a bother if I went to the Uchiha compound right now."

"I'm sure Nii-san would appreciate your visit." And at least, Izuna wouldn't have to deal with the questions that come with his taking care of Tobirama for the day. Yet. Hashirama bursts into a smile. How does this man manage to beam so much?

"Okay then, I'll go see him right now! Would you like to come with me?"

"Um," Izuna says, taken by surprise. He'd thought Hashirama had planned to go on his own. "Okay?"

That's how Madara, eyes bleary from just having woken up, finds in front of him his little brother and his best friend. "What's all of this so early in the morning?" he asks, and Hashirama explains the matter at hand. Izuna tries to slink into the background until Madara side-eyes him, and he stops. Soon enough, they're at the Hokage Tower, picking up their respective workloads. Izuna enters Tobirama's office for the second time that day, gathering the two stack of scrolls and the one Tobirama collapsed over. A quick glance made sure that no damage was done to the contents. Well, the ink may be a little smudged in some places, but nothing too serious. He rolls up that scroll and puts it with the rest, before shutting and locking the office doors behind him.

.  
.  
.

"Why did you agree to this?" Madara asks; with no ill intentions, mind you, but it looks so nonetheless.

"I promised Tobirama I'd make sure Hashirama works properly," Izuna says in response. "Why did _you_ agree to this?"

"Because Hashirama asked me, and..."

"You couldn't say no?"

Madara groans. " _You_ try being asked with those puppy eyes of his! You can't say no."

Izuna sighs in understanding, in recollection of his endeavours earlier in the day. That's the only reason why they're gathered in the Senju family home with all of these scrolls, after all. Hashirama seems to be absolutely delighted, preparing desks and all. Izuna and Madara have gone straight into their respective documents; Tobirama's for Izuna, to be exact. Madara deals with paperwork efficiently, helped by his experience as clan leader, tackling both village and clan matters. Hashirama's the one Izuna might have to worry about. Normally, Hashirama is Tobirama's concern, but Izuna promised. Even if he said it in the moment. Izuna sighs, holds his inkwell down with one hand to make sure he doesn't knock it over. Why did he even promise that? His irritation had gotten to his head, and now he's dealing with the consequences. The one time he gets worried about Tobirama, and the idiot still cares more about work than himself. Even if Izuna's sure he'll be fine, but still.

"I'm going to go check on Tobirama," Hashirama says, and heads off to his little brother's room. Izuna takes the chance to think. If it's only about Hashirama, Madara might agree to cooperate.

"Nii-san," he starts, and Madara nods to show that he's listening. "can I ask you to help keep Hashirama-san working?"

Hearing that, Madara pauses a short while, before eventually sighing. "I can't promise you anything, but I'll try."

"Thanks," Izuna says quickly, and Madara turns to him. Izuna waits.

"Look, I don't get why you're so adamant on helping Tobirama, but don't push yourself too much."

"Same goes for you and Hashirama-san," Izuna quips, and Madara gives him a look. "Sorry. I'm not pushing myself. I just don't go back on my word, that's all."

Hearing those words, Madara takes a moment to look Izuna in the eyes, expression firm and still. Izuna doesn't move under his brother's gaze, heart rate rising slowly under the perceived scrutiny. A few minutes feels like eternity before Madara nods in approval. "That's good. That's how you should be," and he turns back to his scroll. Izuna pauses for a moment, stunned, before shifting his eyes to back his own desk. In some way, to some degree, Madara had given him some approval. After seeing his brother get run through by Tobirama's sword, Madara had been well cautious and wary of the man, especially when he's around Izuna. But surprising everyone, of course, Izuna and Tobirama grew to get along better than anyone expected; and since then, Madara seems to have begun mellowing out towards (tolerating, Madara would surely argue,) Tobirama little by little.

Sometimes, Izuna wonders if that's a good thing. He wonders if how he's feeling is a good thing. Although, he has always been prone to living by his heart, in the moment.

A few minutes later, Hashirama walks back into the room. "Tobirama's still asleep," he announces. "I wiped his sweat but other than that, he seems to be alright."

"Good," Madara says, not looking up from his paperwork. "Now get over here and start working on your work."

Hashirama does as he's told, seating himself next to Madara, picking up one of the scrolls and unfurling it. He does well for a while, making good progress as with Izuna and Madara. But after that, he grows restless, starting conversations with the other two and frequently trying to get up to check on Tobirama. Izuna himself appreciates a little bit of small talk normally, but not when he's handling Tobirama's paperwork. Madara, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be too bothered; probably because he's used to it. He handles Hashirama with an ease that only comes out of practice, although occasionally he seems like he might get dragged into Hashirama's pace, he manages to get back on track in the end. They work in separate places during regular days, but Izuna wonders if working with Madara could keep Hashirama focused for longer.

Hashirama tries to get up to check on Tobirama again, but Madara pushes his shoulder down with one arm and that gets him to sit back down.

"Tobirama is probably still sleeping, Hokage-sama, there's nothing to be worried about." It's only noon; Izuna's confident in the strength of his _genjutsu_. Even if Tobirama's an extremely skilled _shinobi_ , once he's fallen asleep, he should be sleeping for the approximate amount of time that Izuna had designated. In his condition, his body might try to get all the sleep it can get, as well.

"But what if he has, and he needs something?"

"He'd call," Madara answers.

"But what if he _can't_? Someone has to watch him. I'll watch him."

"Hokage-sama, your paperwork," Izuna tries.

"I'll bring it with me!"

"You're definitely going to spend more time fussing over him than working," Madara scoffs. "From what I gather, Tobirama wants you to work. Am I right, Izuna?"

Izuna nods, and Hashirama wilts slightly.

"I know..." he says, dejected, "but just in case."

"I'll go watch him," Izuna offers, and Hashirama turns to him quickly.

"Would you?"

"Yes, I don't mind," he answers. At that, Hashirama tears up. Honestly, this man's expressions are really something, he muses.

"Thank you, Izuna-dono!" he says, wiping his eyes. "I leave Tobirama in your care."

"Okay, enough with the dramatics," Madara says, patting Hashirama's back. He gestures at Izuna to go on. "I'll take care of things here."

"Thanks, Nii-san," Izuna says quietly, and Madara nods. He picks up his things and heads to Tobirama's room. Laying the out on Tobirama's desk, he quietly approaches the silent figure in the center of the room. Still asleep, good. The towel on his forehead has warmed up quite a bit, probably from the last time Hashirama changed it, so this time it's Izuna's turn. He also wipes Tobirama's sweat as best as he can with a towel that Hashirama presumably brought, feeling his neck for his temperature. It seems to have gone down a bit, and Izuna sighs with relief. For the second time today, he sits watching the man who's so competent, yet somehow managed to occupy his mind with a surprising amount of concern. Truthfully, while working earlier, he hadn't been able to get Tobirama off his mind. Of course he knows better, but to some extent, he'd always thought of Tobirama as someone who's infallible. Now that he's grown to know the man better, he has noticed more of the things in day to day life that make Tobirama less... invincible, more vulnerable. And as much as it pleases him to know that the 'White Demon' is just as much of a fragile human as he is – to his initial dismay, he finds himself caring more than he ever thought he should. Caring is not a new concept for him, but the recipient he surely had never expected. And sometimes it worries him. He's not concerned for himself – more for his clan, for the position he holds in it, for the expectations he wishes to fulfill. But maybe, in this still-young village, just maybe...

He truly enjoys Tobirama's company, and the quiet flutters in his chest would tell him something he once would've abhorred. But right now, his heart says, it feels just right.

He watches Tobirama's now even breaths, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. No signs that he's awake. Izuna shuffles as close as he can to Tobirama. He leans towards the sleeping man's face, slowly reaching for the towel on his forehead and lifting it off. Then, very carefully, he presses his lips on Tobirama's forehead; only for a short second before he pulls away, the slightly nervous beat of his heart a new sensation.

"Take better care of yourself, dumbass," he whispers, placing the compress back down. "I won't let you get away with making me worry so much."

.  
.  
.

Tobirama awakens from his comfortable, dreamless sleep to the sound of a brush on paper. A quick glance at the window tells him that the sun has almost finished setting, his room illuminated by an oil lamp. He shifts to feel his own temperature. It hasn't gone down completely, but it's enough for now. He looks for the source of the brushstroke sounds, and finds a familiar figure sitting at his personal desk. Seemingly noticing the gaze on his back, Izuna turns around to find Tobirama sitting up, freshly awake.

"Oh, you're up," he says, and Tobirama nods, still the slightest bit drowsy. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, so far," Tobirama replies. "What are you doing here?"

"Working," Izuna says simply, and Tobirama raises a brow.

"Why?"

Izuna explains the details, and Tobirama listens, humming softly. Hashirama and Madara, of all people, should still be in Hashirama's room working, if everything's going well. "I checked on them a couple of times and they seemed to be doing okay," Izuna reports, putting his brush down. "Hashirama's doing his work pretty well, I think, so don't worry too much. Nii-san's helping quite a bit."

"I see," Tobirama says. That was unexpected, but if things are going well, he's not going to say anything. At least, not until he gets better. What's equally surprising is that Izuna apparently had been working beside him, checking on him from time to time. He knows the proposal was from Hashirama, but he was mildly surprised that Izuna went along with it, and even went out of his way to work by his bedside. That knowledge made him feel... warm. Touched.

Of course, he remembers the Mangekyou Sharingan and knows Izuna had put a _genjutsu_ on him. But surprisingly enough, the way he feels right now compared to when he'd woken up this morning negates a little bit of his disdain for the small betrayal. Regardless, he'll ask about it, just to hear what Izuna has to say.

"So, what was that with your Mangekyou?"

Izuna at least has the decency to look a little guilty.

"It's your fault for – " he tries, at first, but then he stops. "...I'm sorry, everything just kinda got to my head. I just wanted you to rest properly."

Tobirama doesn't say anything, but Izuna's surprising display of honesty brings a bubbling feeling in his chest.

"...the method was questionable, but I do feel better now after a good slumber. I appreciate the sentiment." Reciprocating the action, he sees Izuna's eyes widen slightly, only for a split second.

"Well yeah, you were sleep deprived," Izuna says, hastily rolling his eyes. "I wanted you to sleep for a good amount of time, but I wasn't counting on you to actually stay asleep for this long."

"It's what my body needed," Tobirama replies, matter-of-fact. He then shifts his eyes to the pile of scrolls by Izuna's side. "More importantly, how is your progress?"

Izuna clicks his tongue. "See, there you go again." But he hands the pile to Tobirama anyway, resting it on the man's lap.

"I'm not done yet, but I should be able to finish by tonight. Look over it first, yeah?"

Tobirama does, unfurling the scrolls one by one and poring over the contents. He had left the most objective ones for last, thankfully, and the way Izuna had done them is very close to how he would've done them himself. Maybe a few things he would tweak or word differently, but for the most part, it's passable.

"If you have anything you wanna fix, do it later. You gotta eat. Can you? If you can, I'll get you some more food."

"I can," he says, and his appetite has definitely increased since the morning.

"Oh, wait. I probably should tell your brother that you're up."

"Don't," Tobirama says quickly, and Izuna cocks his head in question. "He'll make a fuss and we won't be able to continue working. Right now, I'd like to focus on getting all of these done."

Izuna clicks his tongue. "You didn't reflect at all, did you? Even if that is true –"

"It is."

"– _ugh_. You do realise you're still feverish, right?"

"I can deal with it. This is more important right now."

Izuna gives him a dirty look, and Tobirama sighs.

"I'll do it in bed, after I eat. And..."

" _And?_ " Izuna repeats, scowl still present, one eyebrow raised.

"...I won't do any more work until I've recovered. I promise."

Izuna's expression softens, and Tobirama gets the feeling that he's learning something new about the man in front of him.

"Alright. You better not go back on that."

"I always keep my word," Tobirama says, and Izuna slowly starts to smile, the tension in his brows disappearing completely.

"Good, because I'm keeping mine."

Izuna gets up and leaves the room, returning a few minutes later with a bowl of still-warm rice gruel and a new cup of warm water. Tobirama starts eating, and Izuna turns back to the scroll he was working on. They carry on in silence for a while, and Tobirama manages to finish the entire bowl. He asks Izuna for a spare inkwell and a brush from his desk, and Izuna passes it over. Placing the inkwell down somewhere secure, he begins on the first scroll, making minor corrections where he can. Occasionally, Izuna would turn to ask him about things he's uncertain about, and Tobirama would answer him accordingly, giving instructions when needed. It takes another two hours or so, with them working almost side-by-side, with Tobirama taking short breaks; but eventually they finish, and dawn has not yet broken. Izuna stretches his body a bit while Tobirama does final checks on each scroll, rolling them up and passing them to Izuna to be stacked on his desk. He'll have them sent out tomorrow morning; for now, all he's going to do is rest. He's feeling better than earlier for what it's worth, so he should probably be recovered by tomorrow. Although...

"I'll take care of these." Without missing a beat, and _Tobirama's_ the sensor here. Tobirama wavers between arguing and not, but Izuna turns to him and he makes up his mind.

"No matter how you feel tomorrow, I want you to take it easy and rest. You can take a day off, right?"

It's strange, how surprising everything feels and the number of new discoveries he makes; but the village is young, and there is still much to learn. Thoughts swirl in his mind, and Tobirama simply nods in agreement, taking a moment to sort through them. There are a few things that he wants to convey, but one that he wants to say the most in this moment, and the warmth rising from his chest to his entire body is what's pushing him forward; like adrenaline, coursing through his blood. He reaches forward to catch Izuna's hands in his own, before the man could say anything else. Words clearly taken away from his mouth, Izuna looks downward before looking straight back at Tobirama, waiting for him to say what he wants to.

"Thank you," Tobirama says, sincerely, and it's simple and complex at the same time. There are many things he's thanking Izuna for, and there's a reason for the felicity he's feeling right now. "For today, and for every other day. Your presence is always reassuring."

In the dimly lit room, only Izuna can notice the heat building in his cheeks.

"Well," he says, averting his eyes slightly, "you work hard. For the village. For everyone." And that is something that he's gotten to witness first-hand. Not so long ago, he had still resented the building of the village; but his brother's expressions and the children's safety changed his mind gradually with the passage of time. And this man, working so hard behind the scenes, works hard for them. For all of them. For the Uchiha, as for everyone else. Tobirama, who always seemed to hate the Uchiha for his brother's share as well as his own. Izuna is always present for all the decisions regarding his clan, and the fact that he's so involved in it shows an openness, a transparency that he had never thought was possible. All of the input gets considered, all opinions get accounted for, and the decisions come out more acceptable than predicted. The man has changed, Izuna can tell. And as Tobirama changed, Izuna can feel that he himself has changed, as well. And it's not a bad feeling.

"As do you," Tobirama replies; might or might not Izuna noticed it, but his effort shines through in its genuineness. Izuna doesn't say anything, abashed and flustered, so Tobirama takes the moment.

"I know I worried you, and I apologize."

"What?" Izuna sputters, surprised at the honest display of remorse. "I mean, yeah, I was mad. Not that worried." An obvious lie. "But as long as you keep your word, it's fine. Yeah. I forgive you."

"I'm glad." The grip on Izuna's hands tighten, the warmth of Tobirama's hands encompassing them. Izuna swallows.

"Just... don't make me worry this much again."

The downwards gaze, refusing to meet his eyes, says everything.

"I'll try not to," Tobirama says, and he means it.

Soon, Izuna will have to go tell Hashirama that Tobirama's up, and Hashirama will come to fuss over his little brother until the night is almost over. But for now, the tender warmth and the two heartbeats in the silent room are only for the two of them to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully, Tobirama and Izuna aren't too OOC, although they're a lot softer than I expected them to turn out. I hope I did them justice. Maybe I didn't. I love them so much yet I can't even write them well, this is so sad *laughs*
> 
> I wanted to upload this way earlier, but a whole bunch of things came up and this happened. Whoops. I finished writing literally, quite literally, minutes before uploading. It's insane. I barely made it. It was supposed to be short and kinda brainless, but writing this has forced the fic to grow a brain, so now it does have a brain-- but not a very good one. I really wish I spent more time writing this, but I've used almost all the time that I could. The writing process felt really long, but it's not a long read at all. I'm rambling.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for stopping by and reading, I really appreciate it. Hopefully, I didn't make you want to rip your eyes out and burn them. Or suffocated you somehow. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated! Have a great day!


End file.
